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Gavin Murphy
Gavin Thurgood Murphy, born 1982Gavin was 25 in the story's setting of 2007, was a male resident of River's Edge. When he was twenty-five, Gavin's hometown was put under attack by a disease that turned people into flesh-eating monsters, which he nicknamed "bees," due to their tendency to travel in swarms. Gavin united with a fellow survivor named Benny, and the two planned their escape from River's Edge, which was falling apart before their very eyes. Over numerous journeys Gavin finally escaped the town, only to find that the problem had also spread to the world outside. Biography Early life Gavin had a normal family life. His parents were high school lovers and he had only one sister, Addison. Gavin attended a college up north in Lincoln for three semesters, but decided that college wasn’t for him, and, not knowing where his life was going, he lived a quiet life in River's EdgeDead Meat, (Chapter 18: Rickett's Logic). Start of the Disease On April 5, 2007, when Gavin was 25, newspapers in the town reported rodent infestations, with the main concern being rabies Dead Meat, (Prologue: River's Edge Dispatch April 5, 2007). Some time later, the disease turned out to be far worse then rabies, making humans rabid and bloodthirsty. For two days, Gavin saw no human that hadn't contracted the disease. Looking for a way out of town, Gavin made it so far before his car's transmission busted and he ended up spending the night in an alleyway. Gavin was woke up some time later by a stranger named Benny, who showed him a camp he had built on the roof of a convenient store next to the alley Gavin was sleeping in''Dead Meat, (Chapter 1: ''Benny). He spent only a short while with Benny in the camp, before the two decided to get out after they saw a diseased woman lose her bowels and not have any reaction''Dead Meat, (Chapter 3: ''Tonight's Entertainment). The Journey Out They walked half an hour to a nearby store called Wonder Mart, which they raided for supplies. Benny fought off several diseased individuals, called "bees" because there habit of walking in swarms''Dead Meat, (Chapter 5: ''Grab-N-Go). Gavin was too shocked to help, making Benny angry enough to tell him that next time he would be the bait. They spent the night in the store employee's break room before they decided to escape the town by crossing a nearby river, and set off''Dead Meat, (Chapter 7: ''In Gavin We Trust?). Benny and Gavin soon came across a picturesque neighborhood, and broke into one of the abandon homes, hoping to spend some time there. By nightfall, however, several bees showed up outside and Benny made Gavin fight them alone. While Gavin fought the numerous bees, Benny found a car in the garage and planned to abandon his comrade, but at the last moment changed his mind and came back to pick him up''Dead Meat, (Chapter 7: ''In Gavin We Trust?). They kept on driving, planning to leave once and for all and to go get Gavin's sister, Addison, up north, but were soon stopped by a military checkpoint, where soldiers were eliminating anyone who tried to leave. Abandoning the car behind them, they broke into a nearby diner, where they were attacked by a woman calling herself Maria, who mistook them for bees. Gavin promised that they would take care of her and carry her to the river with them''Dead Meat, (Chapter 10: ''Invasion). They left the diner and went, upon Maria's instructions, down a path through the wide forests that bordered the town, and finally reached a shallow river they could walk through, but were shocked to see a soldier was also gaurding the waterway. They left Maria at a distance to keep her safe, with Gavin watching, horror struck, as two young girls and their father were killed for trying to escape''Dead Meat, (Chapter 13: ''Slaughter on a Riverbank). He sent Benny to go get Maria, but Benny came back saying she was dead. Benny swore that the bees got her, but Gavin believed Benny killed her''Dead Meat, (Chapter 14: ''Dead Meat, Dead Weight). Out of River's Edge Putting it aside, they waded across the lake, and finally made it out of the town, only to see another bee, which made them realize that the disease had travelled elsewhere. Gavin killed the bee violently, and they walked on, surprisingly finding a house in the middle of the woods''Dead Meat, (Chapter 15: ''A Poke and a Nudge). After knocking on the door, Gavin was attacked by an old man named Rickett, who believed that they were there to attack his land. Explaining that they only need help, Rickett cleaned them up''Dead Meat, (Chapter 17: ''Old Man Rickett) and let them stay the night. The next day, Rickett sighted a bee outside the cabin''Dead Meat, (Chapter 18: ''Rickett's Logic), and gave the gun to Benny, telling him to kill it. Benny said he was unable to, and so Rickett taught the two how to fire a gun, and then, after he had killed the bee, he told them to take one of his trucks and meet him in the town of Brightmoor in 24 hours. He said if they didn't see him, then to keep going until they reached the college that Gavin's sister attended''Dead Meat, (Chapter 19: ''Pulling Triggers). While riding to the town, Benny stopped to shoot some bees, and discovered only head wounds could kill them''Dead Meat, (Chapter 20: ''On the Road). Arrival in Brightmoor Finally arriving in Brightmoor, the two find the town deserted. While waiting for Rickett to show back up, Benny taunts Gavin about his sister, Addison, which causes him to attack, going so far as to shove the gun in his mouth and think about pulling the trigger. This begins role-switching between the two, as Benny becomes more submissive, finally admitting that he acts the way he does because he's scared, and Gavin becomes more offensive as the necessity to survive changes him''Dead Meat, (Chapter 22: ''The Dentist is In). While waiting for Rickett, the pair go to check out some stores next to the parking lot in which they are sitting, where Benny finds a man called Clyde, a survivor of a bee attack that he reveals killed almost everyone and everything in the town. Clyde claims to want help, however, Gavin has a knawing suspicion that he may be trying to gang up with Benny to kill him as revenge for the earlier attack''Dead Meat, (Chapter 23: ''Who's Next?). The three then set up camp in one of the stores. Gavin quit most of this doubting when Clyde became timid and easily scared out of his fear of death, and the fact that he had never had to work so hard for survival. He became only more frightened when Gavin sent him to get supplies from the truck outside during the nightime, and he had a close encounter with a number of bees, who, by waving a flashlight around outside, he attracted to the store. This infuriated Gavin, who asked him repeatedly if he wanted to die, which caused a great wave of panic over the man''Dead Meat, (Chapter 24: ''Who's to Blame). Later on, still during the hours of darkness, Benny woke his sleeping comrades, and told them that a large pack of bees was outside. The trio went to the roof of the store they were in via a staircase inside a storage room, and, by the light of a passing car, in which they believed was Rickett, saw that a pack of sixty or seventy of the monsters out in the parking lot''Dead Meat, (Chapter 25: ''The Waiting Game). Leaving Brightmoor While Benny was being bait to distract the bees from his partners so that they could reach Rickett's truck, they had a gun and a baseball bat, and took out several bees, until Gavin became overran by instinct and began to shoot anything, not having time to think about anything else. At this time, Clyde touched him in the back, and without thinking he whirled around and shot him, causing him to fall backward, dead, and be devoured by bees''Dead Meat, (Chapter 26: ''Fresh Bait). Physical Description Little is known of Gavin's physique, although he is physically fit at 170 pounds, and that he can hold his own against a group of bees and run fairly quickly. Personality and Traits Gavin is known to be sickened by excessive gore, demonstrating that he is not a violent person by nature, although when angered or having no other option he can fight. He swears occasionally, seemingly as a way to vent his frustration, and sometimes beats himself up over little things, showing he is self-concious and self-aware. Gavin is also very true to his word, as a matter of pride. He hates to break promises, and becomes very emotional when he is given no other option. Abilities and Skills Despite being an able fighter in hand-to-hand combat, for years Gavin could not properly use a firearm, as he grew up in a normal suburban life during a time of peace. It was not until he met Rickett that he was taught how too. Possessions After he began his escape from River's Edge, Gavin gave up most of his possessions, excluding all but the clothes on his back. He at one time owned a car, although its transmission broke a while back, and had a home, although wether it was his own or belonged to his family is unknown. Relationships Family Gavin was never particularly close to his family, although, after the bees first attacked, he wanted more than anything to find them, as they were his only reminder of normalcy. Benny Gavin first met Benny on April 14, 2007, when they were both trapped in the town of River's Edge as it was being attacked by bees and soldiers. Initially, Gavin was thankful for his colleague taking him in, but as Benny revealed his violent nature, most notably through rampaging at a large group of the monsters outside Wonder Mart, he loses Gavin's trust. The rift between them was deepened when Benny nearly abandon him, and any hint of possible friendship was virtually non-existant by the time they met Maria. As they tried to escape the town, Maria dies, an event that Gavin is not witness to, but he blames Benny for her murder. The two become near enemies by the time they got outside of the town and were attacked by the hermit Rickett when they went to him for help, but the old man proves to be able to push him into line, only to have the discipline dissappear entirely when he orders them to leave and meet him in the nearby town of Brightmoor in twenty-four hours. It was while in Brightmoor that Gavin and Benny's relationship became much more complex; after Benny insulted his sister, Addison Murphy, Gavin briefly, and seriously, considered killing him, but stopped only when he had the gun in Benny's mouth. It is then that Benny admits he only acts the way he does out of fear, yet by this time Gavin hates him with all his heart and soul. Maria Gavin briefly knew Maria, and though they cannot by any means be considered friends, he found it hard to deal with her death, but this was more because of his need to do something right then actual caring and compassion. Rickett Despite the fact in their first confrontation Rickett shot Gavin, nearly killing him, over time Gavin has built a sort of respect for the strong-willed old man, and feared that he would never see him again when Rickett left to go see if his sister and her family were alright. Clyde Clyde's relationship with Gavin Murphy, a survivor of the bee infestation and former citizen of River's Edge, is sketchy at best. Although the two have no reason to hold a personal grudge, during their first meeting Gavin pointed a gun toward the man, prepared to kill, which likely frightened or angered Clyde, although if so he did not show these feelings. At the same time, Gavin feared Clyde, thinking that perhaps he had teamed up with Benny, with whom he had had a scuffle with earlier that day, and was going to attempt to kill him for revenge. However, with the pass of time, Gavin began to see Clyde was not a very strong-willed person, and finally decided that he would be able to push him around and worry more about Benny, but vowed to sleep with his hand on the trigger of his gun just in case. Later, in a feverish attempt to escape the town of Brightmoor, Gavin accidently shot and killed Clyde, mistaking him for a bee. Notes and references Category:Characters Category:Residents of River's Edge Category:Males Category:1982 births